<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>16: Wednesday by icashi</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27577958">16: Wednesday</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/icashi/pseuds/icashi'>icashi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>153 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bleach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(Rated T bc it's Bleach), Family Secrets, Gen, Gotei 13 does not know what is going on, In a way:, Kuorsaki Ichigo is a Shiba, Nobody gets a real explanation this sassy child just appears and kills a madman, POV Kurosaki Ichigo, Post-Soul Society Arc, Post-Thousand Year Blood War Arc, Pre-Winter War (Bleach), Shiba is ready to overthrow the butterfly, Time Travel, not beta read we die like the butterfly, periodt.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:56:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27577958</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/icashi/pseuds/icashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt 16 - Wednesday</p><blockquote>
  <p><em>"Oyaji is a Shinigami?”</em>, he asks faintly, feeling confused and betrayed. <br/>Shiba turns his head and his smile turns <em>sad.</em> “He used to be."<br/>[...]<br/>Ichigo wishes he’d stayed in class and ignored the Reaitsu flare. <br/>“Petition to abolish Wednesdays”, he intones lowly, blankly staring into space. Seriously, why <em>always</em> on a Wednesday?</p>
</blockquote>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>153 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817347</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>102</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>16: Wednesday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Frankly, I have no idea how this happened.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Wednesday</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>.</strong>
</p><p>Ichigo is in Class when it happens. </p><p>A spiritual presence ripples through Karakura Town, bright as day and drawing a mass of Hollows their way. Ichigo sighs and moves to stand up, only outdone by Orihime’s shy request to go to the bathroom. Ochi-sensei takes one glance at who all rise <em>(Ishida, Chad, Rukia, Orihime, Ichigo)</em> and pinches the bridge of her nose, waving them out the door. </p><p>They rendezvous with Urahara at the Shoten, near the epicentre of the previous Reaitsu flare - for it couldn’t be anything different. Rukia had said time and time again that no Shinigami besides Ichigo had <em>ever</em> had such poor control over their spiritual pressure, not that she knew of at the very least. Ishida had laughed at him. Yoruichi had just smirked and speaking of Yoruichi- where <em>is</em> she?</p><p>Catching Urahara’s eye, he voices his question out loud and his heart hurts as he tells all of them she’d gone to investigate and hadn’t checked in yet. Just as Orihime opens her mouth to say something, Ishida holds up his hand and uses the Spirit Coils to show them that Yoruichi was currently involved with another Shinigami.</p><p>Furrowing her brows, Rukia exits her Gigai as Urahara shoves him out of his body. Sharing a look mixed with concern and trepidation with Rukia, they take off, their friends hot on their heels. </p><p>They find her soon enough, sitting peacefully in a crater with someone. Even from this far away Ichigo can tell that they are clad in a Shihakusho, which only cements his confusion further. Why would a Shinigami flare their Reiatsu this <em>blatantly</em> with Aizen lying in wait? They might as well try and invade Hueco Mundo- that would be on the same level of <em>insane</em> as this. Really- wait! </p><p>The Shinigami senses them nearing, apparently, because they move to stand and promptly topple over again. They would have fallen to the ground if not for Yoruichi catching and chastising them. It’s a strange sight to see her this worried over someone they don’t recognize but Ichigo tells himself this might as well happen. </p><p>The Shinigami looks up when they touch down near them and Ichigo feels his breath leave his lungs. Just who is this and <em>why</em> do they look so similar to himself?</p><p>Urahara suddenly appears next to Yoruichi and after a quick exchange the Shopkeeper motions for them to follow him back to his Shoten. The Teens exchange a <em> look </em>, already utterly done with today. Ishida sighs and concludes that they won’t be going back to school any time soon. </p><p>Soon they enter Soul Society after Rukia sent a Jigokucho ahead to inform her Taicho and by extension all the other Taichos over what transpired just then. After Unohana-san heals the Unknown, Ichigo and his human friends plus Rukia are allowed to sit in on the Taichou Meeting, provided they don’t speak up unless absolutely necessary. Complaints against Yoruichi and Uraharas presence fall silent as soon as Unohana and her Fukutaicho Isane bring in the Shinigami that looks so eerily like Ichigo and the dead Shiba boy. </p><p>The Soutaicho cracks his eyes open almost immediately. Some of them do a double-take and he feels the corners of his mouth pull down. </p><p>Silently, but apparently too loud in the room, Ichigo asks Rukia what she sees in case this is one of Aizen's illusions. Several heads snap over to them and Ichigo bows sheepishly, an apology already on his lips but dying a swift death as the Soutaicho approves his request, startling not only him but also some of the Taichous. Maybe they thought he wouldn’t be smart enough to pin this down on Aizen as he did. </p><p>Rukia tells him she sees someone that looks vaguely like an older version of Ichigo, two black swords at their hips with fading black markings on the left side of the face, orange hair shoulder-length and wavy, tips white. Ichigo confirms that this is also what he is seeing and some of the tension bleeds out of everyone's frames. </p><p>The Soutaicho tells Unohana to wake them up and she does. Instantly everyone is alert as their hands go to their swords. Ichigo wonders faintly why nobody bothered to take them away, seeing as it is war (albeit a cold war) and any show of goodwill towards a stranger could mean dire consequences. </p><p>“Yoruichi-sensei? Did I lose consciousness?”, is the first thing they ask and Ichigo closes his eyes and doesn’t know what this all means. They sound like him, very much so, if he were older and just woke up. </p><p>Yoruichi - who stands next to Sui-Feng and her Fukutaichou Omaeda - nods and says that they lost consciousness shortly after entering the Dangai. Ichigo can almost physically feel Orihimie trying to work out a solution with that creative brain of hers. He wonders why she bothers. This whole situation seems too outlandish, even for Soul Society. </p><p>“Ah, I see. I apologize for falling asleep on you, then.” They bow curtly and Ichigo starts to understand why the Taichous and Fukutaichous shift so restlessly when they think nobody is watching. They aren’t addressing the whole situation, at all. </p><p>The Soutaichou seems to have enough of this and bangs his cane on the floor, effectively shutting everyone up. He asks if they can identify themself and asks why they came to Karakura Town if they even intended to. And, as if the tension before wasn’t skyrocketing through the roof, he asks what their connection to Aizen is. </p><p>Instead of answering right away, they turn around themself once and take in everyone. Their eyes linger on some of the Taichous and of his friends longer than on others and Ichigo doubts he’s the only one that notices. </p><p>Then, finally, they address Ichigo: “How old are you, Kurosaki?” A weird look crosses their face as they utter his last name, something like disgust? Shooting a look at Urahara, who nods his assent, Ichigo answers that he is Fifteen. The Unknown chuckles wryly and sweeps a stray bang out of his eyes, turning around to speak directly to the Soutaichou now. </p><p>“You can call me Shiba Ichigo since any other variation would get too confusing this soon”, they- he says lackadaisically, waving one hand through the air as if this isn’t the confusing part already.</p><p>Orihime gives a small gasp next to him and he thinks she murmurs something about clones or Time Travel- but that would be ridiculous. As ridiculous as this whole situation and yet. And yet here they are. </p><p>“I didn’t mean to go to Karakura Town, I meant to enter Hueco Mundo but I guess you can’t have everything at once. I should be happy I landed here and not like, 100 years ago.” Ichigo wants to scream. Very loudly. But he refrains and contains his anger and worry and disbelief to merely sharing uneasy looks with his human friends and Renji and Rukia. </p><p>“What was the last thing again? Oh yeah, my connection to Aizen! Really, besides wanting to kill the stupid butterfly there isn’t anything between <em> me </em>and him right now. Any connection we shared died in 2020- seriously, that was a shitty year. And, it was a Wednesday, go figure.” Shiba smiles and cocks his head. He has the gall to ask if that was too much information at once as if he can’t hear the various Windows-noises around the room. </p><p>Ukitake gets a grip on himself soon enough and asks what everyone would like to know and what shouldn’t bring a confusing essay with it: What his relation to Ichigo and the Shiba Clan is. </p><p>Shiba turns again and assesses him, looking him up and down several times. “Based on your line of questioning and Kurosakis current Reaitsu levels, I am assuming that at this point in time the Winter War hasn’t happened yet?” Getting a rigid nod from Ichigo, he seems to ponder over the question for a moment.</p><p>“Alright. As I am sure you guessed, my human birth name is Kurosaki Ichigo. I am currently Fifty- Ah, no. Sixty-two, I think? I am not sure but that’s not important, I guess. I was born the son of Kurosaki Masaki and Kurosaki Isshin, found out later on that my father took my mothers name and used to be Shiba Isshin, ex-Captain of the Tenth Division. As of roughly fifty years in the future, I am the Head of the Shiba Clan. Anything else?” He seems highly amused by the ensuing tumult.</p><p>Ichigo feels about ready to faint just by the revelation of his age and then- <em>“Oyaji is a Shinigami?”</em>, he asks faintly, feeling confused and betrayed. </p><p>Shiba turns his head and his smile turns <em>sad</em>. “He used to be. He saved a human and lost his powers, similarly to how Rukia did for you. Only that in exchange for that human's life he never would be able to leave his Gigai or see Spirits again. Very long story short, he saved Okaa-san.” </p><p>Ichigo is left reeling and feels the need to sit down. Instead, he leans backwards against Chad, an ever-present and steady presence at his back. Ishida shoots him a worried look, Orihime whispers about romance and- Yoruichi and Urahara don’t seem surprised. He feels hollow inside, not really tethered to his soul form at that realization. </p><p>“Hmm, is there something else you need to know as of right now? I’d like to go and get rid of that annoying butterfly as soon as I can before he does something stupid in the future.” Ishida, after a cursory glance at the Shinigami, speaks up. Ichigo's breath hitches. </p><p>“Right, I figured you would ask… No, I don’t have a body anymore. It simply couldn’t hold up to the constant strain anymore and died. I estimate that at the current point in time, Kurosaki has two or three years left as a ‘true’ human and after that, he’ll have to use a Gigai or be stationed full time in Soul Society and maybe finally attend Shin’o Academy.” He chuckles humourlessly and takes one long look at every one. </p><p>The space next to Shiba ripples and they watch in shocked silence as he rips a tear into reality right in front of them and steps through with a lazy wave over his shoulder. “Gotta go and rip out a few wings. I’ll be back in a week, tops.”</p><p>The tear in reality mends itself.</p><p>Ichigo wishes he’d stayed in class and ignored the Reaitsu flare. </p><p>“Petition to abolish Wednesdays”, he intones lowly, blankly staring into space. Seriously, why <em>always</em> on a Wednesday?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Follow the "Shiba Ichigo and the Butterfly of Doom" Series if you are interested in more content in this universe.<br/>Crossposted on FFN under the same pen-name as a collective work. Don't copy to another site without my express permission. Thank you.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>